By: Julie McCracken, CVN AmeriCorps Alum through Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry
Julie McCracken joined CVN AmeriCorps trough BonSecours Volunteer Ministry in September of 2012. Julie was assigned a brand new position on Bon Secours Baltimore Hospital. Her service was intended to help more of the hospital’s recently discharged patients become connected to a primary care physician. Keep reading to find out what happened…
At first, I would swing between thinking I wouldn’t make any change and sometimes feeling that I could easily double or triple the numbers. Over the course of October, I had made nearly 15 appointments at the hospital’s free clinic before the first appointment was kept. But at that point, even one appointment kept felt like a huge achievement!
By the end of that first full month, I had also gained some understanding of the barriers that kept an attendance rate of 10%. Instead of relying on the patients in need to call the hospital’s free transportation, I began setting it up myself. I also made sure to clarify that the appointment would be free and that they would be seen regardless of insurance. By December, I had recorded 20% attendance. In January, it shot up to 50%! Over the next five months, attendance averaged out to about 30%. The numbers from before I arrived had tripled! Looking back on this year, and seeing the number of people that put themselves into regular primary care instead of regular hospital admissions, I am excited and hopeful about future changes in healthcare.
Bon Secours CVN AmeriCorps Members gather for a healthy snack. |
Julie is now working at a retirement home for physically and mentally disabled adults in Durham, NC, while taking some classes to prepare for medical school. Inspired by her experience in Baltimore, Julie is interested in understanding how primary care works across different social barriers. After attending graduate school, Julie hopes to become a primary care provider and work towards a more inclusive and effective primary care system.